Corneal Transplant

The cornea is the clear front window of the eye that covers the colored iris and the round pupil. Corneal injury or disease can cause clouding, scarring, distortion of the clear window, and block light from entering the eye. If the cornea becomes cloudy, and can not be treated medically, the only way to restore vision is to replace or transplant the cornea. Corneal transplants are the most successful of all organ transplants.

Over 40,000 corneal transplants are done each year in the United States.Their success depends largely on the cause of the clouding. For example, the success of the corneal transplant is very low for those who have suffered severe chemical injuries. Certain types of viral infections can also cause ulceration and have a lower success rate than others. Patients who have a transplant for disorders such as keratoconus and corneal dystrophies have a high success rate.

The tissue used in transplant comes from an Eye Bank. A donor eye will be given to the eye bank where names are kept on a file for patients needing a transplant. This donor cornea will be transferred during surgery to the central portion of the patient's eye after the diseased area is removed.

Surgical recovery may take up to a year after the operation and depends on the rate of healing and health of the eye. As with other types of transplant, rejection of the donor tissue is possible. Signs of rejection include redness of the eye or worsening of vision. In addition, the cornea is very vulnerable to injury after surgery and protection must be worn at all times. There are multiple stitches used in this transplant that need to be removed in the office during the recovery period. Finally, irregular astigmatism can occur and in some cases a contact lens may be necessary to improve vision.